Israel deserves our full support
Days after seeking to appease the Hamas-sympathizer wing of the Democratic Party with promises of a pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, President Joe Biden stepped up his twofaced rhetoric against Israel, saying an attack on the city of Rafah would be a “red line” that the Israel Defense Forces must not cross.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) followed suit earlier this month with a speech on the Senate floor calling for the ouster of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden and Schumer don’t understand that the Israeli people are united on the mission to eliminate the Hamas terrorist organization. This is not a partisan policy in the Jewish homeland but is recognized as a nonnegotiable existential need. Even if Schumer got his wish and Netanyahu suddenly disappeared, his chief political rival, Benny Gantz, backs extending the war to Rafah to kill Hamas, as do twothirds of the Israeli people.
Most Americans are also unflinching in their support for Israel and its defense objectives. According to the latest Harvard poll, 82% of Americans support Israel over Hamas generally, 67% support a ceasefire only after all hostages are released and Hamas has been removed from power, and 63% support “Israel continuing its ground invasion into Southern Gaza to root out the final elements of Hamas.” There are few other policies that so unite Americans.
If Biden thinks building piers or calling for Netanyahu’s removal or cutting off ammunition will mollify his Israel critics, he is greatly mistaken. Those voting for “other” in Democratic primary contests and disrupting White House events will not be satisfied with half-measures. Only a “permanent” ceasefire that lets Hamas rebuild and reload for further atrocities will make Biden’s leftist Israeli critics happy.
In his lucid moments, Biden acknowledges this. In the same interview in which he drew his “red line,” Biden acknowledged that Hamas “would like a total ceasefire across the board because they see they have a better chance to survive and rebuild.”
True enough, and that is why Israel must go into Rafah to finish the job.
There will be civilian casualties as there are in all wars, although there are notably fewer in this one than is usual, due to the IDF’s great care to avoid them. Hamas’s goal is to maximize civilian deaths for propaganda purposes, and it is a shame that Biden is so susceptible to the urgings of so vile a group of people. The terrorists hide in hospitals, use civilians as human shields, and steal humanitarian aid. Every ounce of civilian suffering in Gaza is a public relations victory for Hamas and a public relations loss for Israel.
Israel has been waiting to go into Rafah for a month now. This is not an army that is recklessly pummeling territory out of rageful vengeance. This is a deliberate and purposeful campaign. The aim is simply to eliminate Hamas. Biden once said he supported that goal. He should continue to do so. The best thing Biden can do for U.S. national security, and indeed for his own presidential campaign, is to help Israel accomplish that goal as soon as possible. ⋆
Biden and Schumer don’t understand that the Israeli people are united on the mission to eliminate the Hamas terrorist organization. This is not a partisan policy in the Jewish homeland but is recognized as a nonnegotiable existential need.